How to sign a PDF on a Mac

Sign a PDF in Preview

These steps follow Apple's current Preview guide. Menu names can differ slightly on older versions of macOS.

1. 1

   Open the PDF in Preview

   Double-click the PDF. If it opens in another app, Control-click the file, choose Open With, then Preview.

2. 2

   Show the Markup toolbar and click Sign

   Click the Show Markup Toolbar button if the toolbar isn't showing, then click the Sign button. If you already have a saved signature, skip to the last step.

3. 3

   Create your signature

   Pick one: Trackpad (click the prompt, sign with your finger, press any key, click Done), Camera (hold your signature on white paper level with the blue line, then click Done), or iPhone or iPad (sign on the device with your finger or Apple Pencil, then tap Done). Click Clear to try again.

4. 4

   Place it

   Click the signature to add it, drag it into place, and use the handles to resize it. Save the file when you're done.

Sign a PDF you got by email

1. 1

   Open the attachment in Preview

   In Mail, double-click the PDF attachment.

2. 2

   Sign it

   Fill it out and add your signature as above.

3. 3

   Send it back

   Choose File > Save, then select Reply to the sender or New Mail Message. A new email opens with the signed PDF attached.

Your signatures are saved for next time. If you use iCloud Drive, they also show up on your other Macs. To delete one, click Sign, hold the pointer over the signature, and click the X.

When Preview isn't enough

Preview places an image of your signature on the page. That's fine for a form only you sign. It falls short when:

• Other people have to sign. Emailing the file around for each signature is slow, and it's easy to end up with two versions.
• You need proof. A Preview signature records nothing about who placed it or when, and anyone can copy it from the file.
• You send the same document often. Placing signature boxes by hand every time adds up.

Sign or send with SignMaster on your Mac

SignMaster runs in Safari, Chrome or any browser on your Mac. Each document you send is an envelope: one or more documents going to one or more signers.

1. 1

   Upload the PDF

   Start a new envelope and add the PDF, or a JPG or PNG. Got paper instead? Click Scan with your phone, scan the QR code with your phone's camera, and the pages land in your draft as a PDF.

2. 2

   Add signers and set the order

   Add each signer's name and email. Click Add me if you're signing too.

3. 3

   Place the fields

   Drag signature, initials, date signed, text and checkbox fields onto the page for each signer. Save it as a template if you'll send it again.

4. 4

   Send, or sign it now

   Review and send. If you're first in line, click Sign now. Everyone else signs from a link on any phone or computer, with no account.

When the last person signs, everyone gets the signed PDF by email with a certificate of completion: each signer's email, IP address, device, and when they viewed, consented and signed.